Some Good Some Bad: Guardians vs. Yankees Recap 4/12 Game 13

In a rare turn of events, Amed Rosario managed to both hit a home run and become the scapegoat for a loss in the same game. But let’s start with the positive: Rosario’s first home run of the year, and the first for the Guardians in almost a week. Unfortunately, his performance on the field was marred by a late error and missed opportunities at bat.

In the ninth inning, with the game tied, Rosario committed a costly error on a ball hit by Giancarlo Stanton. The throw to first base was awkward and short-hopped, and first baseman Josh Bell couldn’t make the play. While it’s not entirely on Rosario, it’s another example of his defensive struggles and range hurting the team.

The real trouble came in the bottom of the ninth, with New York’s Clay Holmes struggling to find the strike zone. After a quick out by Bell, Holmes hit Will Brennan with a pitch and then Myles Straw showed impressive speed to avoid a double play. With two outs and down by one, the Guardians loaded the bases, setting the stage for Rosario.

Unfortunately, he swung through two pitches with the bases loaded that could have sent the tying run home. It’s not a good sign when your No. 2 hitter comes up to bat at the end of a game and fails to deliver. While Rosario isn’t solely to blame for the loss, he was certainly a catalyst for the defeat.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Clase had an up-and-down performance, showing off a nasty slider but failing to hit the velocity highs of last year. It’s not yet a major concern, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

On a positive note, Peyton Battenfield had an impressive debut for the Guardians. The 25-year-old used a cutter/four-seam/curveball combination to confuse batters and limit the Yankees’ offense. Unfortunately, his strong outing was ultimately overshadowed by the team’s late-game struggles.

Despite eventually giving up hits and a run to the Yankees, the starting pitcher can take pride in the fact that he struck out Aaron Judge for his first-career strikeout. He also sat down an impressive 12 straight batters and finished with a solid line of 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 3 K.

Reliever Nick Sandlin’s side-arming delivery provided a nice change of pace from the starter’s overhead release. Sandlin pitched well and gave up relatively few hits during his 1.1 innings on the mound.

Unfortunately, the relievers didn’t all have a great outing. Trevor Stephan made a rare mistake and allowed an earned run, while Emmanuel Clase’s issues ultimately led to the team’s loss in the reliever win-loss stat. James Karinchak only struck out one batter, but kept the Yankees off the bases and looked strong on the mound.

The game’s most memorable moment for those who didn’t watch it live was likely Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s meltdown over a replay review in the first inning. The call was ultimately corrected, but the controversy lies in whether or not the Guardians challenged the play in time. While it’s unclear exactly what happened, it’s clear that the umpires could have done a better job communicating and making it clear when a challenge had officially started.

Despite the drama, the Guardians have an off day before heading to Washington D.C. to face the Nationals over the weekend.